1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication apparatus, a wireless communication system including the wireless communication apparatus, and a control method for the wireless communication system. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication apparatus which switches a transmission system between two transmission systems, a wireless communication system including the wireless communication apparatus, and a control method for the wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, wireless Local Area Network (LAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11a which uses the 5 GHz microwave band and IEEE 802.11g which uses the 2.4 GHz microwave band have been established. Network configurations in conformity with the wireless LAN standards include an infrastructure mode and an ad-hoc mode. In this case, the network in the infrastructure mode includes an access point apparatus such as a base station, and a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses connected to the access point apparatus. The access point apparatus arbitrates access timings of the wireless communication apparatuses. In addition, the network in the ad-hoc mode does not need the above-described access point apparatus, and the wireless communication apparatuses determine access timings thereof. On the other hand, the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WGA) has established the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) which is a wireless communication standard for achieving ultra-high speed communication exceeding 1 Gbps with the 60 GHz millimeter-wave band. The WiGig system will be established as IEEE 802.1 lad which is a next generation wireless LAN standard in future.
Therefore, it is expected that electronic appliances having a wireless communication function in conformity with a conventional wireless LAN standard and a wireless communication function in conformity with a WiGig standard will come into use in future. As a result, a technology of selecting optimum wireless communication means will be required in the wireless communication apparatus which has a plurality of wireless communication means. For example, a wireless communication apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes: a wireless communication unit which has a plurality of wireless communication means; a communication means selecting unit for selecting any one of the plurality of wireless communication means; a user operation unit for a user to input information about a location to use the wireless communication apparatus; and a communication control unit configured to control the communication means selecting unit to select one of the plurality of wireless communication means according to any one of a plurality of types of priorities. In this case, the communication control unit switches over the priority based on the information about a location to use the wireless communication apparatus input from the user operation unit and controls the communication means selecting unit according to the priority after the switch-over process.
The prior art documents related to the present disclosure are as follows:    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP2011-188395A;    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP2007-165999A;    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP2000-261399A;    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP2010-161654A;    Patent Document 5: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2007/0133491A;    Patent Document 6: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0153105A; and    Patent Document 7: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2009/0011770A.
In general, in the case where a wireless communication apparatus which has a plurality of wireless communication means switches over the plurality of wireless communication means, the wireless communication apparatus has to make two wireless communication means operate during the switch-over process to prevent occurrence of a period during which the wireless communication apparatus cannot perform communication. However, the wireless communication apparatus consumes larger electric power upon making the plurality of wireless communication means operate. Such an increase in the power consumption is a big problem for a battery-powered mobile wireless communication terminal.